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Does a new kiln controller come already programmed?

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 2:35 pm
by Havi
Hi everybody!
I hope you are taking good care of yourselves, and using the extra time you have for working with glass, like me. It had been a long time since I spent so much time in my studio.
One of the results was..... that probaley the kiln controller broke.
I have been using Jen Ken kiln with an Orton controller for more than 10 years. 3 days ago, the kiln stopped working with a message FAIL, and then, a message the thermocople is wrong.
Called an electritian. He checked the kiln - then said its not a thermocouple problem but a controller problem [a VERY BIG price difference..]
Changed to Bartlett controller. V6CF While programming it, I discovered to my surprise, that the controller was already pre-programmed - even though I used the PERSONAL program. To me it means that I 'bought' a refurbished controller, not a NEW one.
Am I right?
The electrician says that every new controller MUST come pre-programmed, even at the presonal programmes.
I wonder if I am mistaken, or cheated. Very impoprtant to me... Also, if possible, how much would a Bartlett controller cost in USA?

many thanks in advance
your as always,
stay safe
Havi

Re: Does a new kiln controller come already programmed?

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:38 pm
by Brad Walker
New controllers do have a program (or programs) in them. It's usually not a full fledged firing schedule, but a few steps that are used to test the controller out.

Re: Does a new kiln controller come already programmed?

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2020 12:47 am
by Havi
Thanks, Brad

I am feeling better


Havi

Re: Does a new kiln controller come already programmed?

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2020 10:23 am
by Kevin Midgley
i don't know the internals on the controller that died but I had Digitry controller fail because a fuse inside it burned out when a sending unit from a thermocouple was damaged. Popped in a new fuse and I was back working.

Re: Does a new kiln controller come already programmed?

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2020 11:59 am
by Havi
Thanks, Kevin
That's exactly the difference between us. You are knowledgable and I am ignorant. I have to believe what the electrician says.............
So if he says its the controller, I must accept it, especially being in a rush, as i am now. With a deadline to be met on Sunday.

Thanks anyway,
Be safe,
H.

Re: Does a new kiln controller come already programmed?

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:26 pm
by Kevin Midgley
I presume you kept the old controller. Open it up and look for a little glass tube containing the fuse wire. Chances are there is one in there although some lower quality units may not have such things. Held in place by two clips the fuse pops out. You can sometimes see the wire broken inside or the tube is discoloured. Other times a circuit tester will reveal the fuse is bad. Heads up the fuse inside the Digitry is a "Little' fuse meaning smaller in length than usual fuses and might be tricky to find should it need replacement.

The other thing that kills the controllers is voltage fluctuations. Everyone should if at all possible have their controllers on a power back up system, the same as you could use for your computer that you use for the power supply of the controller. Good ones protect your control unit against over and under voltages and the Digitry will, if battery backed up, continue to fire your kiln as though there wasn't a short electrical failure. So long as your kiln hasn't dropped its temperature too much, the firing will resume as though nothing had happened. The cost of glass lost during a failed firing vs the cost of a good Digitry controller and battery backup makes the Digitry and the battery backup cheap.

In most places in the world the voltage supplied to you is varying hundreds and hundreds of times an hour. It does not bother your kiln but it does bother the electronics in your studio. A good battery backup unit will also tell you the voltage you are receiving. If it is at the low end of the range of power supplied it means you do not have as much energy to heat your kiln. If at the higher end, your kiln will heat faster and better. You could observe that you get better power supplied at night than during the day when everyone's air conditioning units are working and using all the power from the power grid.

The best part is you are probably paying the same money to the power company whether you get full voltage or low voltage.

In my past life I was about 3 miles from a large industrial power user but on the same electrical circuitry. On quiet nights the whistle signalling the end of work at midnight was instantly followed by the Varrooom of the hum of the kilns as they received higher voltages.